In recent weeks, President-elect Donald Trump has mused about annexing Canada, Greenland and the Panama Canal. Although the Canadian threat was seemingly made in jest, Trump is far more serious about levying tariffs — on America’s friends and foes alike. The Republican Party’s turn toward pseudo-isolationism through Trump’s tariff policy is likely to endanger the American economy, hurt America’s allies and help America’s adversaries.
One of the staples of Trump’s political brand has been his strong belief in near-protectionist measures and the use of hefty tariffs. That latter policy, in particular, has been articulated by Trump as a means of punishing or bullying other states that he views as having stepped out of line or having “ripped off” the United States. In his first term, Trump levied tariffs on the European Union, Canada and a variety of other allies, often claiming that imports of steel and automotive parts posed a “national security risk.”
In the past year, Trump has amped up his rhetoric on trade, abandoning previous national security justifications and instead threatening exorbitant tariffs. These measures threaten to affect just about every imaginable product. During the 2024 presidential election campaign, Trump promised to impose 25% tariffs on all products from Mexico and Canada, claiming that such an action would protect American jobs and balance the trade deficits that America runs with both countries. Aside from the fact that the policy flagrantly violates the terms of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement, tariffs of this severity are unlikely to accomplish either of these objectives and, in fact, may do the opposite.
Levying tariffs on America’s top two trading partners would kick up costs, and it could easily cost hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of American jobs. At present, around 7.8 million American jobs rely on trade with Canada, compared with about two million Canadian jobs. Indeed, Canadian officials have not only promised retaliatory tariffs but have threatened to halt all energy exports to the United States. Ontario Premier Doug Ford has stated his willingness to cut off all energy moving from Ontario, Canada’s largest province, to the United States. Ontarian energy alone powers and heats 1.5 million American homes, primarily located in the Great Lakes region. If Ford decides to stop Ontario’s exportation of energy to the U.S., it would be difficult to replace using the American grid in a timely manner, particularly if cut off during the winter months. It need not be said that such an action would place a great many American lives at risk.
Since the end of the Second World War, the United States has placed emphasis on collaborating closely with its allies, from Eisenhower’s Atoms for Peace initiative to the 1965 Canada-U.S. Auto Pact to the North American Free Trade Agreement. Trump’s actions threaten to tear down the goodwill that America has built up for the past eight decades, a backsliding that could relegate America’s standing behind those of powers such as China and the European Union, which have been working hard to foster enduring international partnerships.
It is time for Trump’s incoming administration to look beyond the grandstanding and politicking and realize the true ramifications of his proposed tariff plan; it will only hurt Americans, push away America’s allies and advance the interests of other rival states — notably, China. This extends to America’s diplomatic treatment of its allies as well. Rather than calling for the annexation of Canada — one of America’s closest allies since the 1940s — and for the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico, Trump should instead sit down with U.S. allies. His incoming administration should negotiate strong and reciprocal trade deals in good faith. After all, the only way Canada and the United States would ever join together is if the U.S. agreed to make King Charles III the head of state, rename Massachusetts to the Massachusetts Bay Colony and adopt the Red Ensign as your national flag. Of course, just like Trump, I say that in jest.
Opinion articles represent the views of their author(s), which are not necessarily those of The Dartmouth.
